Tuesday, November 27, 2012

My Clay Crate

File this post under "What Works for Me"! I know that the kids absolutely LOVE clay because it's fun to touch, smells kinda weird and because it's expensive, we don't use it very often. But if I'm being honest, its just not my favorite. It is so messy/dusty/prep-intensive and the projects don't turn out exactly how I pictured in my head. With all that said - I do LOVE how I organize my clay tools!
I'm not sure where I got the actual plastic crate, but it is heavy duty and it holds all of my clay tools in an organized fashion. I've got a clear shoebox-type container that holds four plastic cups. Each cup has an old, grubby ruler that has a sign that identifies and explains each tool. I've also got rolls of old masking tape to use for circle templates, wallpaper samples for placemats, a few wires to slice the clay and a squirt bottle full of water. Mostly I use the water for spraying dried out clay, but sometimes I use it for spraying kids who are too slow to clean up! Just kidding...maybe! I like that the crate takes up very little space, it keeps (most of) the clay mess contained and it is an easy system that even my youngest students can use and maintain. And like I said, it works for me! And because I have a small obsession with RoyGBiv order - check out my glaze organization too!